In this article homeboys provide you a list of must have equipment for backcountry skiing. This might not be the “right” list, but it is based on our years of experience on backcountry skiing and it should be pretty much complete. I believe there is no “right” list of equipment, but without certain equipment skiing the backcountrycan be tricky, risky or simply not fun.

This list of backcountry ski equipment covers one day in the mountains. If you plan spending one or more nights out in the wilderness, this list is incomplete for your needs.

If you are not familiar with backcountry skiing, make sure you have a guide. Climbing and skiing mountains without an experienced guide can be very dangerous due to avalanches, crevasses and other risks. If you are already experienced, make sure you have someone skiing with you. Skiing alone is not a good idea and one or more partners clearly increase your probability of survival in case of accidents. Please keep in mind that backcountry skiing is inherently dangerous, no matter if you have guide with your not.

The following list includes some examples of typical products of the category. Most products are available in Amazon web store, but you can also find these in ski stores such as Snowshack, US Outdoor.Com and Altrec Outlet.

This is just a basic list of items that someone new to backcountry skiing will become more familiar with once he/she learns a bit more. The best “gear” to always have with you is the knowledge of conditions, avalanche situation and your own limits. The best thing to do if you want to get introduced to backcountry skiing is to hire a guide or attend a course.

The ultimate backcountry ski gear list

1. Freeride or backcountry skis – Although you would survive with straight old school sticks, fat freeride skis provide you a ton more joy and fun. Freeride skis are also optimized for freeskiing, as the name says. As days in the backcountry are usually long, with freeride skis you save precious energy which is usually very needed in the end of the day.
2. Touring boots – Just like freeride skis, touring bots are optimized for backcountry skiing, ski touring and mountaineering. With regular ski boots or even race boots you just have additional difficulties.
3. Touring bindings – Touring bindings are optimized for backcountry skiing and ski touring. Regular bindings usually work fine, but touring bindings work even better in the backcountries.
4. Telescope poles – Downhill skiing poles don’t really work in the wilderness, telesope poles can also be adjusted for changing needs such as when climbing a mountain face.
5. Helmet – Nowadays it should be obvious that a good helmet is a must while skiing. Choose a helmet that covers your head well. Some people like Seth Morrison use a fullface helmet with jaw protection, similar to motocross helmets. A helmet is a cheap insurance, so don’t forget it.
6. Gore-Tex jacket and pants or similar – Almost anything can happen in the mountains so it is good to be ready to overnight in the mountains in case of an emergency. Gore-Tex jacket and pants protect you from water and wind, which is very important especially in cold weather. We recommend good brands such as Marmot, North Face and Mammut.
7. Avalanche Transceiver – Also called as “beacon” in Europe. Make sure you have one, it works, and you know exactly how to use it. You need it if you get buried in an avalanche or you are searching your partner who got buried. Your survival depends very much on this little electronic device, so it is absolutely a must have item.
8. Avalanche shovel – If your partner gets buried by an avalanche, all you wish is that he is wearing his tranceiver and that you have a good shovel. Digging him/her out of the snow without a shovel is desperate and a shovel is a must-have. If you haven’t used an avalanche shovel before, please notice that digging with wrong technique can be very exhausting. The more effectively you dig, the more chances of survival your buddy has. Rescuing avalanche victims is done with a combination of avalanche transceiver, avalanche probe and a shovel. The first two are used for locating the victim, while a shovel is used for digging. Everything must happen as fast as possible, so sound skills should be learned before skiing outside the ski area. Otherwise it’s gonna be like gambling, you either win or lose, depending on how lucky you are.
9. Avalanche probe - Have you seen people probing an avalanche area with long sticks? That’s called an avalanche probe and is a must-have also. Finding the exact location of avalanche victim many times requires a probe, because the victim can have meters of snow above.
10. Ski skins - To make it possible to get up… Simply attach the ski skins on the bottom of your skis and start lugging your weight uphill. Remove the ski skins and put them in your backpack when skiing downhill.
11. Mountaineering backpack – A good backpack is a must in the mountains. Skiing and climbing 10 hours a day with a lousy backpack is worse than hell. You enjoy skiing powder much more if your backpack fits with your back and doesn’t move up and down and left to right.
12. Ski strap – Sometimes in the mountains you need to take your skis on your shoulder and start walking. If you don’t have a ski strap with you, it can be very annoying to carry skis that tend to drop all the time. Ski strap keeps your skis in a nice pack which is much easier to carry than separated skis. You also need ski straps if you’re using an A-frame carry with your backpack.
13. Goggles – Skiing knee deep powder snow fly all over your face. Use goggles to have some visibility and to protect your eyes from the wind and the sun.
14. Sunglasses – If you go to the mountains without wearing sunglasses, it takes only 1-2 hours and you can’t keep your eyes open. Light in the snowy mountains is very bright, so sunglasses are absolutely needed up there.
15. Sun cream – One day in the mountains without sun cream can seriously burn your skin, and that can increase the risk of getting melanoma. Make sure the sun cream you carry is protective enough. I usually use children’s sun cream with protection level of 40-50.
16. Mobile phone – In case of accident your first thought can be “how to get help”. In a situation like that mobile phone is your best friend. Make sure your phone works well and the battery is charged. I usually carry a second phone or at least an extra battery in order to avoid mobile phone malfunction.
17. Map and a compass – Make sure you won’t get lost in the mountains, not even in a blizzard. Make sure you have a map of the area and you know how to use a compass.
18. Water - Man cannot survive long without water. Although accidents don’t happen every day, it is good to have at least one liter of water in your backpack, because you get thirsty many times during a day.
19. Energy such as Power Bars – In addition to water you also needs energy, and that is loaded into energy and power bars. So grab a few with you..
20. Headlamp – If you need to overnight in the mountains, a headlamp is a must to have. Even if you wouldn’t overnight, a headlamp is still needed, because right after sunset you might need some extra light. A small headlamp is bright, powerful and very light.
21. Camera – Skiing the backcountry is something many people never experience. With a small digital camera you can make sure you will remember your trip and can also show it to your friends.
22. Bivy blanket – In case of emergency a bivy blanket or bivy sack can provide you warm enough sleep. Make sure you have one in your backpack, because spending a night on cold mountains without bivy sack can be extremely cold.
23. Utility knife such as leatherman – Sometimes you need to adjust ski bindings or screw your boots. A Utility knife or Leatherman knife can be a great help out in the mountains.
24. First aid kit - In case of an accident it is good to have a first aid kit. It doesn’t need to be a big one, because in most cases you need to cover a bleeding wound. Few adhesive bandages and couple of dressing is a minimum.
25. Insurance – Many people forget it, but make sure you don’t. Skiing the backcountry without insurance covering possible costs of helicopter transportation and medical treatments is stupid. Costs can easily climb up to tens of thousands of dollars after an accident.

Did we forget something or is there something that you’ve noticed is needed but not included here?

The advantage of having Snowpulse Lifebag is that the device keeps your head on top and out of the snow. Without the Lifebag, a person has a higher risk of getting buried under the snow. Avalanche airbag also protects the skier’s head from various traumas caused by rocks and ice. In many avalanche accidents, the cause of death is actually a trauma, not suffocation. Snowpulse Lifebag also helps find the patient, because it is easy to recognize a colorful airbag on top of the snow.

Snowpulse Lifebag is an interesting product, and it will be available on 2008-2009. I hope people start using these kinds of avalanche safety devices, because too many people die in avalanches. Unfortunately Snowpulse Lifebag won’t be very cheap, but I think it is worth the investment. We expect that Snowpulse Lifebag will significantly decrease risk of death in avalanches.